The best way to choose ingredients/products is by properties. Here's a link to help you with yours. Live Curly Live Free - Curly Hair Basics Once you determine your properties, you can look for others with hair like yours and see what they use (in signature.) It's the best place to start.

My hair prefers the more natural products from the online, boutique type companies. I stay away from chemicals, my hair especially doesn't care for polyquats. I use what I call jelly products--gelatinous consistency without the chemicals.

You can be really overwhelmed by the amount of products out there so what kathymack suggested is the best way to go. Before ordering a ton of products figure out your properties and how your hair responds to things like proteins, oils and glycerin. Read about protein/moisture balance and dew points and humectants (search this site).

One great way to start is by making your own products, like flax seed gel. There are a few recipes on here, but start with plain. Then you can add things like oil, or honey, agave nectar, aloe vera gel, epsom salt. That way you can experiment with different ingredients w/out spending a ton of money. You may find, for instance, that epsom salt (mag sulfate) is too drying... so then you'll know not to buy a gel with it. Or maybe your hair will love it so then maybe you'll buy a gel that has it.

This site has pretty detailed product reviews and the ingredients are listed. Read a lot before you buy, and take the prod recs from curlies w/ similar hair properties.